Milestones
by jkleeberger22
Summary: Across the galaxy from each other, the Skywalker twins celebrate the same joys and challenges of childhood. A series of short ficlets about little Luke on Tatooine and Leia on Alderaan.
1. All I Want for My Birthday

**Alas, I don't own Star Wars and don't have the necessary credits to buy it from Disney. I grudgingly acknowledge their ownership: I do not own anything in the galaxy far, far away or make any profit from this, except for my own enjoyment, and hopefully a review or two. ;)**

A pink cape, jewelry, and a pair of slippers had all just joined the scraps of wrapping paper on the floor.

Leia's tall stack of presents was dwindling, and so was the little princess's smile. While the gifts from her mother's admiring and enthusiastic subjects had been given with the best of intentions, they hadn't been the best choices: Leia wasn't one for pink sparkly baubles. Nonetheless, she had smiled and said thank-you for every single one. Bail, watching, couldn't have been any prouder.

Now, though, Leia's efforts were growing strained. A droid could have looked more expressive than the newly turned five-year-old, as she plastered on a painful grin. "Thanks." She shot a weary glance at the remaining presents: Apparently, she wasn't holding out much hope that they might hold anything more interesting than the prim clothing and accessories.

As funny as Leia's attempts at diplomacy were, Bail couldn't stand to leave his little girl disappointed for much longer. After the last of the presents from the public had been opened, he led Leia to a more private room and handed her a wrapped package. "There's one more present for you, sweetheart."

"Is it from you?" Leia asked, perking up. She peeled back the paper, then leapt up with an excited shriek. "Oh, thank you, Daddy!" She inspected the picture on the box; A full ten seconds later, she was ripping it open and pulling out a piece of shiny plastic. Assuming a mature pose and tough expression that were incongruous with the tiny girl, Leia touted the toy blaster.

Out in the hall, a senator bearing a present for Leia Organa held a splutter of blaster fire. He turned and ran back down the halls. "Guards!" he shouted to the two men standing on duty. "I heard blasters. Queen Breha, Senator Organa, and the Princess are in danger!"

Gripping their weapons, the three men sprinted to the room where the royal family had been celebrating Leia's birthday. They took up positions on either side of the door and thrust it open with a powerful kick. One of the men thrust up his blaster…

Only to find the royal Princess of Alderaan on the other end, holding the Senator hostage with a plastic toy. Wide-eyed, Leia dropped it and held up her hands. As the toy hit the ground, the sound mechanism went off: _Pew pew pew!_

Bail gave the sheepish trio a wry look. "Thank you for rescuing me."

The poltician glanced at the princess retrieving her weapon and remembered the present he had dropped in the hall after hearing the blaster noises. Maybe the sparkly hairclips inside hadn't been the best choice after all.

o0o

Owen glumly wound up the trinket composed of small gears and odd parts, sending it marching through the shadows falling across the table. When he'd seen the strange little toy droid in a crate of junk the Jawas were trying to pawn off, he had thought it would be the perfect birthday present for Luke. The boy had always been obsessed with the Jawas' odds and ends.

This time, though, Luke had his sights set on something bigger: "Uncle Owen, can I please, please have a bantha?"

"Luke, we have parts on the farm that need fixing," Owen had explained patiently. "And the E9-1 droid will need to be replaced soon. We simply don't have the credits for a bantha, or the huge amount of food it would eat."

"But you wouldn't have to buy milk, so you would save credits!" Luke said. "And he would be my best friend." Owen decided not to mention that a "he" would not be producing milk: Luke already asked enough questions without his uncle providing material for more.

The boy was warming to the persuasive arts. "Yes, he would be someone I could talk to. Then I would stop pestering E9 all day, and he could get more work done."

"But, Luke," Owen protested. "Banthas and their fodder stink. And I'm allergic to their fur."

"If you're allergic, your nose will stuff up, and you won't smell it!" Luke exclaimed. Apparently feeling he had won the argument, the sandy haired four-year-old gave his uncle a sunny smile and skipped out of the room. Owen leaned over, peering through the crack of the door to watch his nephew. E9 had just shuffled into the house, and Luke was standing on his tiptoes in an attempt to reach the droid's ear. "I'm getting a bantha for my birthday," he said in a loud whisper, then beamed in Uncle Owen's direction.

A bantha was out of the question, of course, but Owen couldn't help dreading the moment when Luke would come out of his bedroom, hair tousled with sleep, eyes wide with excitement, expecting a bantha- only to find a few trinkets in its place.

A hand squeezed his shoulder. Without looking up, Owen said bitterly, "This is all I can give him, Beru. A toy made of Jawa scrap. While somewhere, his sister will be receiving birthday presents in a palace."

"I doubt she will be getting a bantha," Beru said, smiling.

"No, but I'm sure she got what she wanted." Owen sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "He just dreams of having a pet, like any little boy, but I can't even give him that."

Beru's eyes lit up. "Maybe we can."

The next morning, Luke raced out of his room. His hair was tousled with sleep, his eyes were wide with excitement, and he couldn't wait to see his bantha.

And there it was, sitting at his seat at the table: A shaggy, cuddly stuffed bantha. Luke stood and stared at it. There was a moment of silence in which Owen and Beru barely breathed, but then a bright grin spread slowly across the child's face. Luke rushed to the table and snatched up the bantha with one arm and the droid with the other.

"Oh, boy! Thanks, Uncle Owen. Thanks, Aunt Beru," Luke beamed. He flung his arms around Beru, not noticing the weariness in her eyes or the way she sat stiffly in her chair, the result of a long night with much sewing and little sleep. Owen was suffering the same ailments, having loyally stayed up with his wife until she had finished Luke's toy. It had all been worth it, though, Owen mused, just to see the smile on Luke's face…

The boy's next words, though, jerked him out of both thought and sleepiness:

"I'm going to name him Obi-Wan."

"Beru, were you telling the boy stories about the Jedi again!?"

 **A/N The moments in these ficlets probably won't occur chronologically, as I will post them as I write them, and I will write each when I am inspired (And we all know inspiration doesn't strike in chronological order!) Anyway, thanks for reading, and please leave me a review if you would like to read about a certain milestone for Luke and Leia.**


	2. Can I sleep with you?

A small, insistent voice interrupted Bail Organa's dreams.

"Daddy."

He felt a light tap on his shoulder, which soon grew into an almost vicious shake.

 _"Daddy."_

He felt a much gentler touch on his other arm and heard a whispered "Bail!" from Breha.

The two women Bail loved most in the whole galaxy, who happened to also be the two most-strong willed women in the galaxy, were ganging up on him. Again.

He rolled over in bed, opening his eyes in slits just wide enough that he could see the slender figure standing at his bedside, looking like a ghost in her white nightgown. She was clutching her doll, which had been stripped of its dainty frock and dressed in bounty hunter garb immediately upon Leia's acquisition of it about a year back. "What's wrong, Leia?" Bail groaned.

"I had a bad dream," the child said. "Can I sleep with you?"

He sighed. "Leia, you need to sleep in your own bed."

"But it was scary. There was a Sith with a black and red face," Leia murmured, hugging her doll closer. "Please, Daddy?"

"Fine, but no more holodramas before bed," Bail said, as Leia happily crawled in between him and Breha.

"I wasn't one who told her she could watch just one before letting her watch two," Breha mumbled from under the warm nest of covers. Bail ignored her and shut his eyes, drifting back to sleep.

A half an hour later, he was prodded out of it by a persistent tugging on his elbow. _"Daddy._ I had another dream."

"A bad one?"

"No, it was a good one. I think. There was a lady who was beautiful and kind- but she was sad." Leia then described in great detail the figure she had seen in her dream.

Sleepiness forgotten, Bail and Breha propped themselves up on their elbows and stared at each other in shock. After Leia had dozed off again, they conferred in whispers.

"You know who that was."

"It sounded like she was talking about Padme Amidala to me."

"But Leia was a baby when she passed, and she only saw her for a few minutes! How could she remember Padme well enough to dream about her?"

"Then you think- it was a Force vision?"

"It's not improbable."

The next morning at breakfast, Bail and Breha were still in awe of what had happened the past night. Bail stirred his bowl of food and asked casually, "So, Leia, did you have any other dreams last night?"

"One," Leia nodded. She shoveled a last mouthful of her breakfast into her mouth and hopped off her chair. "I married a smuggler," she added cheerfully over her shoulder.

As she raced off to grab her bag for school, the two parents exchanged horrified looks.

"Just because one dream was a Force vision doesn't mean the rest are," Bail said into the silence. "Or else we'd be in trouble, with that dream she had last week about Jedi Banthas singing in a cantina."

"You're right," Breha agreed. "Every crazy dream concocted by a child's sleeping mind can't be a vision, and thank goodness for that."

"You don't approve of Leia's future husband? I happen to think our Leia would get along famously with a smuggler," Bail said with a mischievous grin.

Breha shook her head fondly and stirred her tea. "She probably would. Nonetheless, I am content to rack that one up to a simple dream."

"Me, too."

O0o

"Uncle Owen," Luke whispered. "Uncle Owen, I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?"

"No, Luke, you need to sleep in your bed."

"Okay," the little boy sighed. He tiptoed hesitantly to the door, then stopped to look back longingly at the security of his aunt's and uncle's bed. There was a pitter-patter of bare feet, then the child's small figure disappeared in the darkness.

"He's only four-years old. It wouldn't have hurt to let him sleep with us," came the reproach from Beru's side of the bed.

Owen winced. "Yes, it would have. Don't you remember how much that boy kicks in his sleep? Besides, it's better for him this way. It will only make his fear seem more real to him if we act like whatever he fears truly exists." Owen pushed back the blankets and lowered his feet to the floor.

"Where are you going?" Beru murmured sleepily.

"To tuck Luke in."

Beru smiled to herself and snuggled back down under the blankets. Meanwhile, Owen padded down the hall to Luke's room. He smiled when he stepped inside and saw a quivering lump of blankets lying on the bed in his nephew's place. "Luke," he said gently, and a tiny opening appeared in the mound of blankets. Two wide blue eyes peered cautiously out. "Y-yes?"

Owen knelt beside the child's bed. "What was your dream about?"

"Tusken raiders," Luke said in a small voice. "The shadows on the wall- they look just like them."

Owen glanced at the wall and realized that his nephew was right.

"They're just shadows, Luke. They can be anything you want them to be." As Owen looked back at the ominous shadows, an idea hit him. "Luke, I'll be right back."

When he returned, Luke was curious enough to peel back enough blanket that the tip of his nose could be seen. They were already making progress.

Uncle Owen activated the glow rod he had fetched and twitched it back and forth, making the shadows flicker on the wall. Luke gasped and retreated a little further into the blankets. "Stop, Uncle Owen! They're moving!"

"It's not scary. Look, Luke," Owen said. He balanced the glow rod on his knees and raised his hands, flapping his fingers back and forth. The shadow danced on the wall.

"It's a bird!" Luke exclaimed.

"It certainly is. Do you want to try?" Luke's small arm extended from the blankets, fingers wiggling in front of the glow rod. Two ears and a mop of sandy hair appeared from the mound.

"Can you make a speeder?" Luke asked. Owen produced his best imitation and sent a shadow speeder zipping across the wall.

"What about a Gungan?"

"Now that's scary," muttered Owen, but he obliged. Luke gave a contented giggle as he watched the long-legged shadow jiggle and dance. The blanket line had receded to the boy's shoulders, and Owen gently smoothed back the now static mop of blond hair out of his nephew's eyes. He adjusted the glow rod to its dimmest setting so it wouldn't disturb Luke's sleep and laid it on the mattress. "I'll leave the glow rod here with you, Luke, until you fall asleep," he promised. "The shadows are whatever you think they are; Sometimes, you just have to change the way you look at them."

Luke's fingers were moving more lazily now in front of the glow rod, creating a shadow that obviously meant something to the child but held no meaning for Owen. The boy's eyelids were starting to droop closed, and he yawned. "Good night, Uncle Owen," he whispered.

Owen kissed him. "Goodnight, Luke."

 **Thank you for reading! Again, please leave me a review if there is a certain milestone you would like to see Luke and Leia experience. Have a great day, and may the Force be with you!**


	3. When I Grow Up

"What are you drawing?" Bail asked Leia. The little girl was sitting with her face inches away from the paper, and she was biting her lip in concentration.

"It's the Senate," the child said, without looking up.

"The Senate," Bail repeated, studying the wobbly circles and squiggles. He couldn't make much sense out of the drawing, but then again, abstract chaos seemed to be an accurate representation of the Senate.

"I'm drawing me when I'm grown up. Being a Senator like you," Leia explained, pointing to a line connected to a rather square shape that had circles on both sides. "This is me. I'm on the floor."

"Are you now?" Bail asked, matching Leia's solemnity. "What are you proposing?"

Leia paused to think. "Peace. Peace in the whole galaxy." She followed her awe-inspiring statement with a long moment of thoughtful silence, before interrupting it with a quick scribble on her drawing. "And doughnuts," she added. "Doughnuts on every world, for everybody."

Bail grinned. A chef from Coruscant had recently opened a small shop nearby selling powdered Christophsian sugar donuts, a previously unknown delight on Alderaan, and Leia had fallen in love with them. "Do you want to go out with me and get a doughnut, my little Senator?" Bail asked. He lowered his voice to a confidential whisper. "We'll have to sneak out. If one of the staffers tells your mother, she'll blame me for spoiling your lunch."

Leia bounced up with a bright smile: She loved secrets just as much as she did doughnuts. "Okay!" They tiptoed hand in hand through the halls, peering cautiously around the bends before dashing to the next place of concealment behind a curtain or statue. Bail was sure Breha wouldn't care too much if he took Leia out for a small treat, but the excited light in his daughter's eyes was more than enough incentive to continue the game. When they reached the speeder, though, Leia frowned thoughtfully. "It's too bad you can't buy peace, too. Like you can buy doughnuts."

Bail stopped stock-still and looked down at Leia, surprised. "You're right, Leia. Peace comes at a much higher price."

"Who will pay the price for peace?" Leia asked, scrambling into the speeder and plopping down on the seat. Her small legs swung back and forth, but her face was earnest.

Bail was startled to receive such a question from a three-year-old, but then he recognized the question as one that had been spoken rhetorically in one of the emperor's propaganda messages on the holonet. Leia apparently paid more attention when Bail was watching the news than he had thought.

This time, though, it wasn't being asked for the sake for mere rhetoric, and Bail wasn't going to answer it with such.

"I would," he said, fastening Leia's seatbelt. He stopped and gazed into the child's wide brown eyes. "I would pay any price," he said solemnly, "if it meant you could see peace in the galaxy."

Leia smiled. "I would too, Daddy," she said, leaning forward and pecking a kiss on his forehead. She had always been rather impulsive with her gestures of affection, which Bail found endearing.

"I love you, my brave, generous princess," he said, reaching up to gently brush away the loose strands that were, as usual, coming loose from Leia's buns. "I don't know what I can do about peace in the galaxy at the moment, but we can work on the doughnuts for everyone. What do you say we take some back for my staffers?"

"Can I help hand them out?" Leia asked hopefully.

"Of course, you may." Bail smiled and gestured grandly, as he did on the Senate floor. "This whole policy was made possible by you, Senator Organa. I would say that's a rather promising start to a career."

O0o

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"Uncle Owen!" a small, proud voice called. Owen looked up from the broken moisture vaporator part in his lap just in time to see Luke clomp around the corner, his feet swimming in his uncle's boots.

"Look at me, I- "Luke began, before sprawling on the floor.

Beru, right on the toddler's heels, scooped him up and kissed him. "Oops, Luke," she said, setting him back on his feet before winking at her husband. "I guess your Uncle Owen has left some pretty big shoes to fill."

"Are you going to follow in my footsteps, Luke?" Owen said with a smile, lifting the child onto his lap. "Are you going to moisture farm someday?"

"Nuh-uh," Luke said, shaking his head. "I want to be a Stormtrooper."

Owen's smile faded. There were a number of good reasons why Luke could not be a Stormtrooper, but there wasn't a single one that was fit to be told to a child. He settled for the easiest response: "You're a bit short for a Stormtrooper, my boy."

Luke frowned. "Oh." Then, his face brightened. "What about pod racing?"

Owen's thoughts were rapidly turning to a place he didn't want to go. For the past three years of Luke's young life, he had been determined that the child would always stay safe on Tatooine: With his narrowed focus, Owen had almost forgotten the dangers of their own planet. "Luke, pod racing is against the law. And it's too dangerous."

Not to mention that he, as Owen always referred to Anakin Skywalker in his mind, had pod raced. Luke was not going to follow his biological father's footsteps in even the smallest way, if Owen had something to say about it. His boy would grow up safe, content, hardworking, and loved, untainted by the deeds of his birth parents, or the wars and scuffles that consumed the galaxy, or that crazy Jedi hermit-

Luke's cheerful lisp broke into his thoughts. "Then I'll be a lightsaber."

Owen wasn't sure he had heard correctly. "You'll be a-what?"

"A lightsaber. I could be a good one," the three-year-old said. He leapt down off Owen's lap, dancing across the floor and mimicking the noises of a lightsaber.

Groaning, Owen dropped his forehead into his hands. "Where does he get that from?"

"I hate to say it," Beru said, although her smirk proved exactly the opposite. "But it comes from your side of the family."


	4. Revelations

When the message arrived from Leia's school, Bail Organa had been reading a report from the Senate on his data pad and eating lunch. Both now lay abandoned on his desk as he marched down the halls of the academy, his heart pounding to the rhythm of his echoing steps.

He and Breha had known this day would come. That knowledge was not making his task any easier.

Bail rapped his knuckles against the administrator's door and entered. There was Leia sitting in a chair, head and shoulders drooped dejectedly.

"Thank you for coming," whispered the administrator. "I'll give you two some time alone."

Bail walked slowly to Leia's side and knelt. "Leia? Are you all right, sweetheart?"

"Yes," Leia said.

"I'm sorry your mother couldn't come, too, but she's in a meeting."

The little girl avoided his eyes. " _My_ mother? My real mother?"

Bail slipped a finger under Leia's chin and lifted it gently. "Tell me what happened, sweetheart."

Leia took a deep breath and nodded. "I wanted to play spies with the boys during recess. They said princesses don't make good spies, so I- "Leia hesitated, her face guilty. "I may have walked on top of the monkey bars."

Bail tried not to imagine the child balancing on the monkey bars; It was far too easy to imagine the spectacle followed by whimpers of pain and broken bones.

"You walked on top of the- "Bail stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "We are going to have a talk about that later, Leia."

Leia had been expecting as much and simply nodded.

"What happened next?" Bail asked softly.

"The boys were going to let me play after that, but one of the girls said I was an embarrassment to you, and that they weren't surprised that I couldn't act like a proper princess- "Leia's words came out in a rush, and a tear slipped down her cheek. The next words, even expected as they were, sent shivers through Bail's skin. "-because I'm a-adopted."

Leia, who had been staring at her lap, swiped away her tears and met Bail's gaze. "I shouted at her, and the teacher heard. I told her to tell them it wasn't true, but she wouldn't answer me. That's when I knew. It is true, isn't it?"

"Yes, Leia," Bail said. "It's true." He and Breha had already prepared their story. "Your birth parents died during the Clone Wars when you were a baby. Your mother was a very brave and generous woman; She would be very, very proud of the independent young lady you have become, Leia."

Leia's wide brown eyes stared earnestly into Bail's. "And my father?"

"He was a very skilled man, and he certainly did his part for the war effort," Bail said carefully. That much wasn't a lie. He could feel his heart cracking that he couldn't tell Leia the whole truth- he and Breha had made a point to never lie to their daughter- but how could he possibly tell an eight-year-old that her father had become a monster? A monster who had slaughtered thirty children little older than Leia, no less? And Leia and her brother themselves could have died when Anakin had tried to Force choke Padme…Bail blinked hard, trying to ignore the thought of what life would like without his smart, stubborn little ray of sunshine. How could a good man have almost done that to two innocent children- _his own_ two children? Nothing else could have been more conclusive proof that there was only Vader inside that suit now. Yes, Anakin was dead.

"Leia," Bail said, squeezing her hand. "Listen to me. The children were right when they said you were adopted, but do you know what they were wrong about?"

"What?" Leia asked.

"That you are an embarrassment to me. You make me proud every day, and the people of Alderaan couldn't hope for a better princess than you. Being a ruler isn't about your clothes or eating with the right fork. It's about doing what needs to be done, and that can include diplomacy, wielding a blaster, or going undercover just as much as it can mean hosting dinners in the palace. Leia, it's about serving your people with courage, and loyalty, and generosity. I have already seen those things in your heart, and I know they will grow even more as you do. I would trust my life in your hands, my darling, and I can count on one hand the number of politicians I can say that about."

A smile spread across Leia's face. "It's because my father was such a good example." She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close.

He wrapped his arms around her slender body and snuggled her close. "I love you, Leia."

"I love you too, Daddy."

O0o

Luke's usual chatter was absent from the supper table, and he had barely taken two bites of the bantha steak soup that was usually his favorite. (At the Lars household, though, it was just known as steak soup. Luke adored banthas.)

"Uncle Owen? Why don't I call you father, and Aunt Beru mother?" Luke finally blurted out, looking up at the couple with wide, troubled eyes. "Aren't you my parents?"

The clink of utensils and the sound of food being chewed abruptly stopped. Owen and Beru exchanged glances.

"Well, Luke," Owen said clearing his throat. He shifted in his seat and laid down his fork. "Actually, we aren't."

"I'm not the one who gave birth to you, my child," Beru said. "Your mother was in poor health, and she wasn't strong enough to live through the birth."

"And your father, my brother, was a navigator. On a spice freighter." Owen wasn't sure if that was true or not. For all he knew about his stepbrother, it _could_ have been the truth: Maybe the Jedi ran spice in their free time.

He remembered back to what that crazy Jedi hermit had said as he had laid Luke in their arms.

"Wait, what are we supposed to tell the boy someday about his father?" Owen had said, suddenly feeling a spark of desperation as Obi-Wan began to stride away.

"Tell him he was a navigator on a spice freighter," the Jedi had called back breezily over his shoulder.

Well, whether it had been the truth or simply an example of screwed Jedi humor, that was what Owen had told Luke. He wondered if Kenobi had believed he would actually tell Luke that; He suspected he hadn't.

"Oh," Luke said. He sat there swinging his feet and staring at his wiggling toes, his eyes lost and filled with confusion.

Beru caught Owen's eyes and nodded toward Luke. "Say something to him," she mouthed.

Owen glanced at the top of the boy's head helplessly. Beru rolled her eyes and rose from her seat, coming to kneel by Luke's side. She wrapped a warm arm around his shoulders and hugged him close.

"This is hard for you, isn't it, Luke?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh."

"You know, we may not be the parents that gave birth to you, Luke. But in our eyes, you are our son- and there is no one we love more than our sweet, energetic little boy."

With one arm wrapped around Beru's neck, Luke turned his head to stare at her solemnly. "Really?"

"Yes. And we'll always be here to do all the things that mothers and fathers do, like care for you, and teach you, and- "

"And make sure I drink all my blue milk?" Luke interrupted.

Beru laughed. "And make sure you drink all of your blue milk. We love you, Luke."

"To the twin moons and back?" the little boy asked hopefully, turning to Owen and stretching out the arm that wasn't already squeezing Beru's neck.

Owen had never been much of a hugger, but stars above, how could he resist that bright grin?

He stood and wrapped his arms around his wife and his nephew- no, his son.

"Yes, Luke," he said. "All the way to the twin moons and back."

 **So, this was a bit more serious than the other ones in the series, but I hope you still enjoyed! Thanks for reading.**


	5. Picky Eaters

"Leia. Eat. Your. Vegetables." Bail drummed his fingers against the table, finding himself locked in a staring contest with Leia. Her eyes were glaring at him from barely above table level.

"No!" Recently, that seemed to be Leia's favorite word.

He was a viceroy and a senator; Surely if Bail could persuade the bickering Senate to pass bills, he could convince his barely three-year-old daughter to eat a few bites of her supper. He tried to approach the problem logically: How would he do it if he were standing on the Senate floor or settling an argument between Alderaanians?

"There won't be any dessert for you if you don't finish what's on your plate, Leia," Bail said.

She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Don't care."

Bail mentally checked what he called "persuasive rewarding" and what Breha called "bribery" off the list of tactics. He moved on to the next: Diplomacy. "Why won't you eat your vegetables, Leia?"

"Vegebles-"

"You mean vegetables."

"Vegebles," Leia repeated stubbornly, "are bad for you."

"Why, exactly?"

"They're green!"

"Nice try, Leia, but I fail to see the connection. Actually, green vegetables are very good for you."

"Why?" That was Leia's second favorite word.

"Because they will help you grow big and strong."

"Why?"

Bail hesitated. He hadn't paid much attention in his Biology class years ago because he hadn't seen how it had applied to his chosen field- How could he possibly have guessed that he would need that information someday for parenting? "Because- because they will," he finally said.

"I fail to see the con- con-ection," Leia retorted, somehow managing to wrap her tongue around the long word.

Bail sighed. If she was already twisting his words at the age of three, what would she be like at thirteen? That boded well for Leia's career if she wanted to follow in Bail's footsteps as a politician, but it certainly was not going to be an easy ten years for her father. "If you can swallow that big word, Leia," he said. "Then you can certainly swallow your vegetables."

She stuck her lip out in a pout.

Personal appeal? Bail's list of techniques was growing shorter, and he was growing more desperate. "Please, Leia, do it for me!"

Breha, who had been silently watching the showdown, leaned forward and gathered some of the food onto Leia's fork. "You know, Leia, on some worlds that are under Imperial occupation, the children don't get lovely vegetables like these to eat."

"Lucky," the little girl said.

Breha's lips twitched, but her face remained solemn. "Actually, they aren't. They have to work all day with their parents, and they come home every night tired and starving. But there isn't anything good for them to eat. So, that's where the true heroes come in!"

"Heroes?" Leia perked up. Breha pushed the spoon into Leia's mouth before she could protest. The little girl grimaced but swallowed the mouthful.

"Yes, heroes! They are the smugglers," Breha said.

Leia wriggled in her seat, a grin crossing her face. She _loved_ stories about heroes, and she _loved_ stories about smugglers, but she hadn't heard very many stories where the smugglers _were_ the heroes!

"They sneak shipments of fruits and vegetables to all those hungry children." Breha smiled and whispered conspiratorially, "Do you want to hear about them? But remember, this is a very big secret. If anyone found out, the children wouldn't get their food."

"Yes!" Leia exclaimed. "I'm good at secrets!"

Breha began a story about a very brave, dashing smuggler who disguised or hid food in various ways on his ship and delivered them under the very noses of Imperial Stormtroopers.

"Was there a girl, too?" Leia asked.

"Of course, there was! And she was the bravest smuggler of them all." Breha scooped up some more vegetables onto Leia's fork. "Here, eat another bite of your food, and I'll tell you about her."

By the time the story was finished, Leia's plate was empty. The little girl ran off to watch what was left of her holodrama, and Breha smirked at Bail.

"Now _that's_ the way it's done."

Bail added a new option to his list of tactics: Distraction.

O0o

"Luke! Owen!" Beru called. "It's time to eat."

She moved to the stove and began spooning stew into dishes while Owen helped Luke wash up. Unsurprisingly, it took several minutes; Whenever Luke came in from playing outside, he was so coated in sand that she couldn't tell if it was her nephew or a Tusken Raider underneath. It was one of the worst things about housekeeping on Tatooine: The sand got in every corner of the house, in their food, in the folds of their clothing, and especially in Luke's hair, giving even more accuracy to the term "sandy blonde." How dirty Luke was usually provided a pretty good indicator of his mood and how hungry he would be: Tonight, he would definitely be cheerful and starving. He wasn't a picky eater, and his good appetite was always something she could depend on.

She was carrying the bowls to the table just as Luke bounced into the dining room, still brimming with energy even after a full day of play. Owen followed more slowly, rubbing his back, and they all sat down around the table.

"Yum," Luke said, shoveling in a bite of soup. "What's this?"

"Bantha steak soup, isn't it, Beru?" Owen asked, sampling one of the chunks of meat.

Luke's mouth dropped open, allowing several drops of soup to trickle down his chin. Violently, he shoved the bowl away from him and scrambled down off his chair.

"What in the galaxy are you doing, boy? Sit back down this- "Owen began, but the child was already running into his room. Owen exchanged puzzled looks with Beru as they heard the sound of whimpers and muffled sobs.

"Luke!" Beru called, rising from her chair and following him. She found Luke on his knees at his bedside, his face buried in a fistful of blankets.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Beru asked. Luke raised his head, and she used the already damp blanket to wipe soup and tears off the child's face.

"Calla!" he sobbed.

She wasn't sure she had heard correctly. "What?"

"Calla."

Owen had just reached the doorway, and his eyes widened with sudden recognition. "Oh, Calla!"

"Yeah." Luke nodded tearfully, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Beru placed her hands on her hips and looked from her nephew to her husband. "Would someone please fill me in?"

"A herd of Banthas passed by the farm the other day," Owen said. "The herder stopped them so Luke could pet one. Its name was Calla."

Well, that certainly explained why Luke had looked as horrified as if he had eaten a friend.

"Oh, Luke," Beru said, hugging the little boy and trying to decide whether her natural inclination was to smile or sigh. "The meat in the soup-I don't think that was Calla."

"One of her family, then," Luke sniffled.

How could she argue with that? "It's okay, Luke honey. Come on back to the kitchen, and I'll find you something else to eat, okay?"

After Luke had gone to bed that night, Beru reheated the soup and served up portions for herself and Owen. She lifted a dripping spoonful of soup to her mouth, the steam and savory scent of herbs tickling her nostrils. Somehow, the smell didn't have the same appeal as it had before. She paused, stared down at the chunks of tender bantha meat resting in the liquid, and realized that Owen was doing exactly the same.

Their eyes met.

"Calla," they said together and set their spoons down.

 **A/N There you have it, folks! That's the reason why bantha steak soup is simply called steak soup in the Lars household. ;) Thanks so much for reading!**


	6. The Force is What Binds Us

**A/N. This is for Lord Darth Yoda and another reviewer who requested that Luke and Leia experience Force visions of each other. Luke and Leia had some ideas about where the story should go, too, and their Force visions of each other grew into Force appearances! As a result, this installment is organized differently than the previous ones, switching back and forth between the two children's POVs. Thank you to both reviewers for the suggestion.**

o0o

It was a windy day. Sand and warm air blasted against the sides of the speeder, and Luke thanked the stars above (an expression he had heard from Owen and the only phrase of his uncle's that Beru allowed him to use) that the speeder had a good windshield. On Owen's last speeder, the glass had been cracked, and it had taken them several years to be able to afford a new one. Tosche station, the size of a toy, rapidly grew to its proper size as the speeder zoomed over the ground.

Owen stopped it in front of the building and hopped down. "Do you want to come in with me to get the new vaporizer parts I ordered, Luke?"

Luke shook his head. One of the older boys had teased him last time he went to the station, and he wasn't looking forward to facing him again, even with Uncle Owen's protection.

"All right, then. Stay right there." Uncle Owen turned off the speeder and trudged inside.

Luke slid over into Owen's seat, which felt hot against his thighs. He twisted the steering wheel back and forth, mimicking the low rumble of the speeder under his breath. If only he could fly it…

Luke grinned. Maybe he could! Uncle Owen would probably forbid him from doing it, but he had always doubted Luke's ability to do the smallest tasks with the machines on the farm: Luke had already proved him wrong several times. Besides, he had watched Uncle Owen pilot the speeder many times, and he was sure he could handle it. He glanced up at Tosche Station; There was still no sign of his uncle returning.

Grinning, Luke flicked the switches and pushed the proper buttons. The speeder came to life beneath him with a smooth, steady drone. He steered the land speeder slowly around the sun-baked buildings and pointed it toward a stretch of empty sand and wind. It was fun, but Luke was rapidly becoming bored. The terrain was just so flat here, and surely the speeder could go so much faster.

He adjusted the controls on the panel, and the speeder leaped forward. Luke whooped with excitement and set it another speed higher. _Now, this is more like it! If only Uncle Owen could see this._

There was a cluster of rock landforms in front of him, but Luke knew they wouldn't be a problem. All he had to do was make sure he gave himself plenty of time to maneuver around…

He had misjudged. Luke screamed as suddenly the giant rocks were right in front of him. He spun the wheel desperately, punching any button his fingers fell on. The speeder was going too fast, and he couldn't control it!

O0o

"Class, please mark that information on your data pads. You'll need to remember it for the test," the teacher said, pacing at the front of the room.

Leia Organa stifled a yawn. She reached down to tap her screen, but suddenly instead of seeing the screen of her data pad, everything was pitch black. Around Leia it was warm, and there was something touching her shoulder. Inside the almost wet, almost webby skin that touched her, she could feel the thud of a tiny heartbeat. Then she was on stumpy legs, toddling toward Bail Organa who was clapping; Now she saw a Stormtrooper, one who was too short in her opinion, entering a cell. The images spun and whirled into a dizzying array of noise and colors, and she could no longer discern any of it.

Suddenly, one of the images resolved into a boy driving a land speeder. He was zooming far too fast, and if he didn't turn _right now,_ he was going to-

Crash! The speeder smacked the rock and fell onto the sand, rolling over like a wounded beetle. The little boy's body was launched onto the sand.

"No!" Leia screamed. Impulsively, she stumbled a step forward, but she fell. Her knees hit the ground, and she found her palms were sinking into powdery sand.

She scrambled back to her feet, shaking a shower of sand from her clothing (ugh, so much sand!), and ran to the boy's side. Something felt oddly familiar and comfortable about him, like being in the warm, safe, dark place.

Leia shook her head, exasperated with herself. This wasn't the time, because the boy wasn't safe. He was in real danger!

She bent over him and realized he was _glowing blue_.

O0o

Luke groaned and tried to reach up. He could feel the brush of a fly against his shoulder. He wanted to flick it off, but his fingers felt so swollen and clumsy…

"Wake up!" a voice said, right in his ear.

Luke gazed up blearily and saw a girl wearing a white dress and two hair buns. It took an effort to force the words out. "What? Who 'r you?"

"My name's Leia," she said. Luke felt attracted to her like there was a winch between them, yanking them closer together. There was just one thing that looked odd-

"Why're you blue?" Luke asked.

She frowned. "Don't be silly! You're the one who's blue! You must have bumped your head really hard."

"My head?" Luke mumbled. The sun's rays were so bright, piercing his eyes like blaster fire, and all he wanted to do was close them. Close them, and sleep in the dark, in the dark and warmth and peace he had felt before the girl had woken him up. It seemed like the girl and that dream of the dark were opposites, but somehow something about them felt the same… Luke's eyes drooped closed.

O0o

The boy had a swelling, purple bump on his forehead. Leia figured he must have hit his head on the speeder during the crash. She didn't know much about injuries, but on all the medical holodramas she'd seen, they had _never_ let people fall asleep when they looked like _that_. And now his eyes were closing!

"No, stop! You can't go to sleep!" she yelped, shaking his shoulders. She took a deep breath and started to babble whatever popped into her mind. If only she could get him to answer…"What's your name? Who are your parents?"

"Luke," the boy mumbled, his voice slurred. "An' my parents are dead."

"Mine are, too," Leia said. Her heart flooded with sudden sympathy, newfound understanding, and the connection between them strengthened. It was overshadowed, though, by the hope she felt at hearing him speak. _This is good; I have to keep him interested._ Interested meant awake, and awake meant alive.

"I live with my adopted mom and dad, though," she continued. "You hear me, Luke? They're the best in the whole galaxy. Who do you live with, Luke?"

Luke shifted on the sand with a moan, and his wide, bleary eyes tried to focus. "My aunt. 'An my uncle."

"Where are they, Luke? Are they coming?" Leia asked, shading her eyes with her hand and desperately scanning the landscape. All she could see was sand, sand, more sand, and- there! Some type of tan, sun-baked building! And outside of it, she thought she could spot small figures sprinting around.

"They're coming, Luke! Hold on. I'll sit here so it isn't so bright. There, is that better?" She shifted so her slender form cast a shadow over the boy. "It's so hot here. I don't know if I could stand it if my planet had two suns. Do you like having two suns?"

Luke didn't answer, just blinked at her.

"Listen, Luke!" she pleaded. "Hear the speeders? Stay awake just a little longer, Luke, I know they're coming to get you!"

"How do you know?" the boy murmured.

"I'm hoping," Leia said resolutely, squeezing the boy's hand. "My daddy says to never give up hope."

O0o

One moment he was lying on his back, staring up at the sun with a little girl who glowed blue and kept talking on and on about things he couldn't remember, but that had something to do with the dark, Owen's land speeder, and hope. The next thing he knew he was gazing up at his uncle's concerned face.

"Luke, are you all right?"

"The little girl. Who was blue. Where is she?" Luke asked.

Owen's face wrinkled in confusion. "I didn't see a little girl, Luke."

"There was one. Her name was-" Luke paused. He thought it had started with an "l"; _Lillian, or maybe Louise? Or was it an I?_ "I don't remember her name," Luke said.

Owen smoothed Luke's hair back from his face to inspect his bruised forehead. "Whatever you say, Luke," he said kindly, obviously believing the story was a delusion prompted by his injury. "You took quite a bump to your head there. Do you see her now?"

"No," Luke said. He wished he could.

O0o

Two men had driven up in a speeder and leaped out. Leia had tried to talk to them, even tapped one on the elbow, but they hadn't been able to see or hear her. As the older man had cradled Luke safely in his arms, he, the sand, and the smashed land speeder had begun to fade.

Leia awoke to find herself slumped over her desk, her face smooshed against her data pad.

"Leia?" Her teacher was at her side, tapping her. "Leia, are you okay?"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah. I guess- I guess I just had a dream."

Her teacher looked worried. Leia was usually an enthusiastic student, and she had never fallen asleep in class before. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Leia said. Whatever had happened, it was growing foggy, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to explain it to anyone. She couldn't even remember the little boy's name.

O0o

That night, she remembered that in the world in her vision there had been two suns. Her cool bed sheets rustled as she pushed them back and placed her bare toes on the ground. She tiptoed over to the window and imagined the twin suns sinking below the horizon. The first stars were beginning to pop out against the deepening twilight; Somewhere out there in them was her little boy. Leia blew the stars a kiss. "Goodnight," she whispered.

On Tatooine, Luke lay in his bed. He turned his head to look out the window and thought of the little girl. Usually what he could see out his window of the galaxy with its billions of planets and twinkling stars looked ginormous, but today it seemed small. Because somewhere on one of those planets was his own rescuing angel. He felt like he was getting too old for kisses (and at the same time was too young for them), but he would make an exception for her. Luke kissed his fingertips and waved them toward the stars. "Goodnight," he whispered back.


End file.
